Check-row corn-planter.



No. 777,938. PATENTED DEC. 20, 1904 J. B. CARTER.

CHECK ROW CORN PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV,11. 1903.

NO MODEL. zsnnms-snnm 1.

NO MODEL.

PATENTED DEC. 20, 1904. J. B. CARTER.

CHECK ROW CORN PLANTER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11. 1903.

2 SHEETSBHEET 2.

' UNITED STATES Patented December 20, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE B. CARTER, OF BLUFFS, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAMMoCALEB, OF BLUFFS, ILLINOIS.

CHECK-ROW CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,938, dated December20, 1904.

Application filed November 11, 1903. Serial No. 180,701.

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JEssE B. CARTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bluffs, in the county of Scott and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Check-Row Corn-Planters;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in check-row corn-planters inwhich is employed wire-carrying buttons, which are caused to engage witha fork to operate devices carried upon the planter for dropping the cornat regular intervals and is an improvement upon the invention set forthin Letters Patent No.

I 674,233, granted to me May 14, 1901.

The invention relates, first, to means whereby in a convenient andsimple manner the machine may be converted into a drill, and, secondly,to means whereby the pocketed wheels which close the bottom of thehoppers may be adjusted so as to vary or regulate the amount of corndropped without stopping the machine.

Other features of improvement will appear in the description whichfollows and in the claims. 7

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 i a top view of my improvedplanter. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, partly in section, on theline a a, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line I) b, Fig. 1. Fig. 4is a detail of the feed-wheel.

Similar numerals indicate similar parts in the respective figures.

The frame, which is of the usual form, is supported upon wheels 1 1, oneof which is keyed to and rotates the axle 2. If desired, both wheels maybe connected to the axle by ratchet-clutches or otherwise. Thecorn-hoppers 3 3 are supported upon the cross-beam 4 and placedimmediately over the runners or furrow-openers 5. At the bottom of eachhopper 4 is a flat-ended wheel 6, (see particularly Fig. 4,) completelyclosing the hopper. Each wheel is provided with a series of pockets 7 77 those 7 being of greater capacity than those 7, which in turn are ofgreater capacity than the pockets 7. The wheels 6 are adapted to besteadily rotated and feed the corn regularly into the legs 12 of therunners 5, as in my former patent. For rotating the wheels 6 theirsupporting-shaft 8, which is preferably square in cross-section, isconnected to and revolved by a sprocket-wheel 9, in turn rotated by asprocket-wheel 10 on the axle 2, the said wheels being united by a chain11. The sprocketwheel 9 is adapted to loosely fit the squared shaft 8,so that the shaft may be slid within said wheel, although the latter, aswill be understood, is so fixed to the shaft as to partake of its rotarymovement. The shaft 8, as seen at the left of Fig. 1, is provided withagrooved collar 8 keyed or secured permanently to the shaft, so as torotate therewith. Astrap 8 rests in the groove of the collar 8 and isconnected with a two-part forked link 8 connected to the strap by meansof bolts 8. This link has a loose connection by means of the bolt 13with a lever 14, having its fulcrum 16 in a bracket 17, secured to onehopper 3. The bracket 17 is furnished with a toothed segment 18, intowhich a pawl 19, attached to a rod 20, is adapted to enter, said rodbeing secured to the handle 21, pivoted to the outer end of the lever14, all as clearly indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. As shown in Fig. 1, thepockets 7 of the fiat-faced wheels 6 are in the center line of thehoppers, and upon the rotation of said wheels the greatest quantity ofcorn intended to be distributed will be dropped;

but if it is desired to drop a smaller quantity of corn by moving thelever 14 to the left, Fig. 1, and allowing its pawl 19 to engage thecentral notch of the segment 18 the pockets 7 a will be broughtcentrally of the hopper and a diminished quantity of corn will bedropped. Should it be desired to drop a still lesser quantity, thepockets 7 are brought centrally of the hopper by moving the lever 14 sothat its pawl 19 will engage the outer notch of the segment 18. It willbe understood that the sprocket-wheel 9 while turning with the shaft 8will allow the latter to slide within it, the position of thesprocket-wheel remaining unchanged.

As in my Patent No. 674,233, the checkrow mechanism includes a reel 22,mounted behind the supporting-axle 2 on a shaft 23, the reel beingrotated by means of a sprocket 24, axle sprocket 25, and chain 26. Thesprocket 24 is connected to rotate the reel by means of a clutch 27,which features, however, forming no part of my present invention, arenot particularly illustrated and described. The wire 32 passes from thereel to the anchor, being led around the central guide-pulley 33 in thefront part of the frame to either of the side pulleys 34 35, as maydepend upon the direction of travel of the machine. The second drop orvalve mechanism is also substantially as in my said patent, consistingof the transverse shaft 36, supported upon the cross-beam 4 and carryingthe fork 37. The fork is connected by suitable levers 38 39 and rod 40with the sliding gate 41. In the operation of the device forintermittently distributing the corn the buttons 32 on the wire 32engage at the proper intervals with the fork 37, the result being theelevation and depression of the gate 41, as will be readily understood.

In Fig. 2 the gate is shown elevated, the machine being adapted as adrill. This position of the gate is effected by the following devices: Alever 42 is pivoted to the crossbeam 44, there being provided. a notchedquadrant 45. The lever is furnished with a sliding pawl 46, normallyimpelled by a spring 47 to enter one of the notches of the quadrant.When it is desired to lift the gate 41, the lever 42 is drawn back fromthe forward notch and through the medium of the rod 48, which connectswith an arm 49, mounted upon the shaft 36, said arm 37 is drawn back,the action being such through the intervening levers and rod 40 that thegate 41 is lifted, the pawl 46 being caused to rest in the rear notch ofthe quadrant 45. By this action the fork 37 is depressed out of the lineof the wire 32. In Fig. 2 the central pulley 33 is shown in full lines,the pulleys 34 35 being represented in dotted lines. The generaloperation of the machine, apart from the devices for regulat- Mountedupon the cross-beam 44 is a guide 50, the function of which will beclearly understood by reference to Fig. 1. It will be seen that the wire32, leaving the reel 22, passes through the guide 50 and is led by itinaline approximating that of the longitudinal center of the machine toand over a central pulley 33. he result is that the wire is more readilyguided and paid out with greater ease than would be the case were theguide omitted.

I do notrestrict myself to the exact details of construction,combination, and arrangement herein set forth, it being obvious thatminor variations thereof not involving the exercise of invention may bemade by the skilled mechanic, and such departures from what is hereindescribed and claimed not involving invention I consider as within thescope and terms of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a check-rowcorn-planter, the combination with the seed-tubes, of avertically-slidable valve movable across the end of the seedtube, arock-shaft actuated by the check-row wire, connections between saidrock-shaft and the valve whereby the valve may be raised and lowered toopen and close the end of the tube, and means for holding the shaftdisconnected from the check-row wire whereby the valve may be maintainedin its raised position, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the frame, and the seed tubes, of a verticallyslidable valve mounted in the rear wall of said tube and adapted to moveacross the end of the same, a rock-shaft mounted on the frame, means foractuating said shaft, connections between said shaft and the valvewhereby the valve may be raised and lowered to open and close the end ofthe tube, a crank-arm on said shaft, a lever mounted on the frame, and alink connecting the crank-arm with said lever, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand.

JESSE B. CARTER. WVitnesses:

AUGUST FROHWITTER, I. M. TAYLOR.

